Moon Magic
by Stargone
Summary: Long ago, some cats wielded the magic of the Moon. But ever since the Great Battle, magic has been outlawed in Moon Valley, and the Valley has been safe. But magic isn't gone. It still lives-inside and out of Moon Valley. And when it rises again, will anyone be able to stop it? (rated T because Warriors)
1. Allegiances

**This is my first Fanfic story. I hope you like it! Please review and tell me what you think.**

 **Thank you!**

Allegiances

First Clan of Moon Valley

Leader: Bluemoon—Black tom with blue eyes

Deputy: Thistlethorn—Light brown tabby she-cat

Mystic: Spiderfoot—Long-haired tan tom with black paws.

Hunters:

Hollyberry— Light brown tabby she-cat

Cloudburst—White-and-gray tom

Guards:

Gorsepelt—Gray tom with white paws

APPRENTICE, Smoke

Mistysong—Light gray she-cat

Minnowsplash—Silver-blue she-cat

Apprentices:

Smoke—Dark gray tom

Queens:

Brightstep— Light gray she-cat with blue eyes

Elders:

Cinderflower—Ginger she-cat with white patches.

Second Clan of Moon Valley

Leader: Softmoon—Cream-colored she-cat

Deputy: Beetleshine—Blue-gray tom

Mystic: Mothfeather—Light gray she-cat with pale blue eyes.

Hunters:

Badgerstripe—Black tom with white tail-tip, paws and muzzle

Willowbreeze—Brown she-cat with blue eyes

Ashtail—Light gray she-cat with a dark gray tail.

APPRENTICE, Petal

Guards:

Redfur— Dark red tom.

APPRENTICE, Lion

Cedarspots—Dark brown tom with black patches.

Rippleleap—Blue-gray tom with green eyes

Apprentices:

Petal—Brown tabby she-cat with light green eyes.

Lion— Petal's brother, golden-furred tom with green eyes.

Queens:

Cherryheart—Long-haired ginger she-cat (mother to Molekit, a brown tom, Rabbitkit, a cream-colored tom with ginger patches, and Brindlekit, a tabby tom with intense gray eyes)

Elders:

Foxclaw—Red-orange tom with long claws

Third Clan of Moon Valley

Leader: Ambermoon-Calico she-cat with tabby patches and amber eyes

Deputy: Littleclaw—Young ginger she-cat with small claws

Mystic: Tallriver—Silver-and-black tabby with blue eyes.

Hunters:

Brightshadow—Black-and-gray long-haired she-cat with yellow eyes

APPRENTICE, Silver

Onelight—White tom with one yellow eye

APPRENTICE, Fire

Sweetrose—Tan she-cat with white patches

Guards:

Oakstorm— Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

APPRENTICE, Morning

Nightwhisker—All black tom with green eyes

Sharpwind—Black-and-orange tortoiseshell she-cat

Apprentices:

Fire—Fluffy golden-ginger tabby with gold eyes

Silver—Fire's sister, fluffy silver tabby with grey eyes.

Morning—Gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

Queens:

Fernleaf—White she-cat with gray spots (mother to Smallkit, a white-and-brown tabby)

Lakestep— Silver she-cat with green eyes

Elders:

Voletooth—Old gray tom with yellow eyes

Fourth Clan of Moon Valley

Leader: Heavymoon—Brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

Deputy: Eeltail—Long-tailed gray tom with green eyes

Mystic: Shimmerclaw—White she-cat

APPRENTICE, Ivy

Hunters:

Darkclaw—dark-colored tom

APPRENTICE, Owl

Tigerstripe—orange-brown tabby tom

APPRENTICE, Pine

Guards:

Briarfang— Dark gray tabby with blue eyes

Blackpool— Black tom with green eyes

Crowfoot— Dark brown tom with one black foot

Apprentices:

Ivy—Ginger tabby she-cat

Owl—Gray-brown and white tabby tom

Pine—Light brown tabby she-cat

Queens:

Eaglewing—White-and-brown she-cat (mother to Rainkit, a gray she-cat, and Leopardkit, a golden tom with darker spots)

Mistdapple—Gray-spotted she-cat

Elders:

Blossomfur—Cream-colored she-cat

Cats Outside of Clans

Everly—Scruffy black-and-white cat, loner

Scratch—Tough ginger cat, leader of a gang

Grunt—Gray tom, Scratch's second-in-command

Claws—Sharp-clawed white she-cat, Scratch's sister

Mouser—All-black she-cat with blue eyes

Skyblaze—Ginger she-cat with white blaze on chest, LostClan cat

Duskfall—Gray tabby with green-gold eyes, LostClan cat

Ratbite—Red-and-brown tom, LostClan cat

Ghostsong—White cat with brown stripes and pale green eyes, former LostClan cat

Frank—plump orange kittypet


	2. Prologue

Rain fell fast and heavy, soaking the fur of the four cats huddled together on the battlefield.

"This has to stop," demanded the first, a brown-and-white tabby.

"What can we do?" fretted the second, a white tom.

"We could seek council with the Moon," suggested the third, a gray-blue she-cat with white paws.

The fourth, a ginger she-cat, with blue eyes, shook out her wet fur and gazed thoughtfully up at the night sky.

"What about you?" the white tom asked her. "Do you have any thooughts?"

They waited. The ginger cat turned away from the sky. "Yes," she said quietly. "I think they must leave here forever."

"But this is their home, just as it is ours," said the gray she-cat. "How can we turn them away?"

"They brought this upon themselves," snarled the tabby, fur bristling. "I agree. They should leave."

The white tom shook his head. "But it's not as if we can just _tell_ them to leave! They could destroy us, if they wished."

"And they will, if they remain here!" said the tabby with a hiss.

"The Moon will protect us," said the ginger cat calmly. "She will return peace to her valley. I will gather our mystics, and we will go to the top of Moonreach Mountain and speak to the Moon."

"Do you think she'll listen?" asked the white tom uncertainly.

"Yes," said the ginger cat. "I do."

The other cats dipped their heads.

"We will take our Clans and go our separate ways," said the gray she-cat. "We will have our own territories. But we will not fight. Never again." She pressed her paw into the wet, rain-soaked dirt. "I swear it."

"I swear it," the white tom echoed, and placed his paw next to hers.

"So do I," said the ginger cat, following their lead. "I swear it."

"I swear it," the tabby finally said, after a long pause, and finished the circle of paws. "And do we all agree, that if a cat is born to our Clans, a cat who is like the ones who did _this—"_ Here he looked around the battlefield at the dead—"then we will dispose of them in whatever way we can, for the good of the valley and all the Clans?"

There was a long silence. The tabby glared around at his companions, waiting.

Finally, the white tom spoke up. "Agreed."

"Agreed," the ginger cat decided.

"Agreed," said the gray she-cat with reluctance.

And they removed their paws from the circle, leaving four small prints in the mud.

The Treaty had been made.


	3. The Fox

**TheHazardsOfLove13 and SnowLily2004: Thank you very much! Here's the first chapter!**

The mouse sat at the foot of the tree, snuffling around in the dead leaves with its tiny snout and paws. Fire watched it, crouching in the grass and staying as still as possible, so it wouldn't notice her. Its movements were so small and carefully precise.

A silver-and-white blur shot out from a nearby bush and pounced, her paws slapping down on nothing but leaves as the mouse shot away.

"Aww," Silver said, watching it scurry away. "I almost had that one."

Fire sat up with a sigh, licking her forepaw. "Sure you did."

"Hey, I didn't see you with your paws on it!" Silver shot back.

"No fighting, you two," said Brightshadow, Silver's mentor, stepping out of the bushes.

Fire's mentor, Onelight, followed her, blinking his single yellow eye and yawning. "It doesn't seem like these apprentices will ever catch anything," he complained.

"We can do better," Silver mumbled, sounding embarrassed.

"Yeah," Fire agreed.

"Alright," said Onelight, his eye gleaming. "Then let's have a little contest. Whoever catches the most prey wins." He angled a sly look at Brightshadow. "Bet you my apprentice catches more than yours."

"You're on!" said Brightshadow.

Fire and Silver glanced at each other, and then shot off in different directions.

Fire kept her ears pricked and sniffed the air, searching for the smell of prey. She caught a vole quickly and then two mice, which she buried to fetch later. She was determined to win this contest and make her mentor proud. Onelight was always so grumpy and cranky, and nothing she did ever seemed to satisfy him. But she would win this. Maybe then he'd be happy with her.

Just then, she caught the scent of a rabbit. She padded forward through the undergrowth, trying to be as silent as possible. She soon spotted the rabbit, nibbling on some grass about a foot away. She lowered herself into a crouch and took a step forward.

Suddenly, a fox leapt forward, landing on the rabbit and biting it, snapping its neck. Fire froze.

The fox picked up the rabbit and looked around. Her heart pounding furiously, Fire flattened herself to the ground. _Don't notice me,_ she pleaded in her head. _I'm not here. Don't notice me._ She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened one a tiny bit.

The fox had turned toward her and was sniffing the air. It padded her way.

 _I'm not here,_ she repeated in her head, closing her eyes again and breathing deeply and quietly. _I'm not here._

She heard the fox sniff, and felt its hot breath ruffle the fur between her ears.

And then it was gone. Fire opened her eyes to see it walking away. She let out a long gasp of relief.

But how had the fox not noticed her? It had been right above her.

Feeling shaken, Fire continued the hunt. But her heart wasn't in it anymore. She couldn't stop thinking about her run-in with the fox. She was so distracted she barely caught anything else.

Silver won the contest, but Fire didn't really care any more. She carried her catches back to camp beside her sister, but all the while, her mind was spinning.

She knew she should tell someone about the fox. Foxes were dangerous. But how would she explain how the fox hadn't noticed her? When Onelight said she and Silver could eat, she took one of the mice she'd caught and nibbled on it half-heartedly, still thinking.

Silver plopped down next to her, carrying a sparrow. "Hey, Fire," she said cheerfully. "You seem distracted. What's on your mind?"

Fire looked up. Silver always knew when something was up. It was the downside of having a sister.

"I hope you're not mad at me for winning the contest," said Silver, suddenly anxious.

"What? No," said Fire. "You won fair and square. It's just…"

"What?" Silver took a giant bite of her sparrow and gave Fire a long, worried look.

Fire looked into her sister's gray eyes.

"It's nothing really," Fire said finally. Maybe it was nothing. The fox just hadn't seen her, that was all.

But that couldn't be all. Fire knew she hadn't just imagined the fox being right above her, or feeling its breath on her head. That had been all _too_ real.

If only she could figure out why it hadn't seen her…


	4. Magic

Fire awoke the next morning to the shouting of the guards. She sat up, blinking sleep out of her eyes.

"Come quick!" Morning, the guard apprentice, called from the mouth of the den. "There's a fox! It's attacking the camp!"

Fire's stomach filled with dread. She scrambled to her paws and bolted out of the den, Silver close behind her.

The fox was standing at the entrance to the camp. It was snapping at the guards, Oakstorm, Nightwhisker, and Sharpwind, and they were fighting back. But the fox was strong. The hunters were trying to help, too, but they'd never been trained to fight. Silver and Fire watched in horror as the fox grabbed their mother, Dawnmist, by the scruff and tossed her aside. It snapped at the young hunter, Sweetrose, next.

 _This is my fault!_ Fire thought. _I should have told someone about the fox yesterday._ But it was too late now.

Fire ran forward, letting instincts she didn't even know she had kick in. She leapt and soared through the air onto the fox's back, digging in her claws and sinking her teeth into its neck, hard. Blood tingled on her tongue. The fox screeched and thrashed, and one of the guards, Oakstorm, raked his claws down the fox's side. The fox flailed and snapped, catching Oakstorm's front leg in its jaws. Fire bit down harder, and the fox screeched again, then shook her off and fled.

Fire hit the ground hard and slowly stood, swaying unsteadily. She looked around to find all the cats staring at her.

"What?" she said. _"What?"_

"How did you jump so far?" asked Morning, who had come up beside them.

"What are you talking about?" Fire said. "I just jumped. It wasn't that far."

"She was very brave," Silver defended her sister.

"Yes," said Onelight. "Who cares how far she jumped? She saved Oakstorm's life!"

Fire glanced at him in surprise. He was the last one she would have expected to defend her.

"He's right," said Ambermoon, their leader. "She was very brave, and she protected her Clanmates." She glanced at the sky. "Tomorrow is a Full Moon. I think it's time for Fire to become a true member of the Clan."

Silver's eyes shined. "Yes!" she meowed eagerly.

"I agree," said Onelight, winking at Fire.

Soon the rest of the Clan was calling out their agreements, too. Fire felt a spark of excitement—she'd been waiting for this her whole life. But she was also confused and unsteady. She turned to Silver. "Silver, did I really jump that far?" she whispered.

Silver's eyes lost their shine. "Yeah. You were all the way back there." She nodded way back toward the apprentice's den.

Seeing how far it was, Fire felt dizzy. "I think I need to go lie down," she said weakly.

"You'll be alright," said Dawnmist gently, coming up beside her and Silver. "Just have something to eat and rest a little, and you'll be better in no time."

Fire nodded, and took a vole from the fresh-kill pile. She ate it slowly, lying in the cool grass. First the fox hadn't seen her, and now this. What was going on?

The mystic, Tallriver, who had been tending to Oakstorm's leg and Dawnmist's bite wound, came hurrying up to Fire. " Are you alright?"

Fire nodded slowly.

Tallriver tilted his head. "You're thinking about when you jumped, right?"

"Yes," she said. "I don't know how I could have done it."

"I do," said Tallriver.

Fire looked up. "You do?"

Tallriver glanced over his shoulder. "Don't tell anyone about this, but I think it could be…magic."

"Magic?" Fire's heart skipped a beat. "You mean, the magic that's been outlawed ever since the Great Battle?"

"Yes," said Tallriver quietly.

"But that magic's gone. It disappeared a long time ago," she said.

"No," he said. "It didn't. Magic still exists."

"Well, I know mystics have healing magic," she said, "and the Clans' moonlight strength is a kind of magic. But this is different magic—and it's long gone."

At least, she hoped it was. She couldn't have magic. All the cats who'd ever had it had been evil. _She_ wasn't evil, and she didn't want to be.

Tallriver shook his head. "I know magic when I see it." He hesitated. "And, Fire…the reason no one has magic anymore is because the Clans get rid of any cat who does."

Fire stared at him, shocked. "Get rid of?"

"In whatever way they can," Tallriver replied. He blinked sadly at her. "I won't tell anyone, Fire. But sooner or later, someone's going to find out."


	5. Coming of Age

**LilacKitten: Thank you for your comment! I'm going to try and update with a new chapter every day.**

 **It always makes me happy to see reviews, and to know what people think of my work!**

Fire was wide awake, her stomach fluttering with excitement and nerves, when Onelight padded into the apprentice's den to say Ambermoon was waiting.

Fire padded out of the cave and into the moonlit clearing. The leader, Ambermoon, was sitting on the stone in the center of camp, her amber eyes round and wise. The rest of the clan was gathered in groups around the clearing, waiting for something.

Waiting for Fire.

Ambermoon gave a deep purr and said, "Cats of the Third Clan of the Moon, it is time." She jumped down off the rock and padded up to Fire.

The rest of the Clan rose and walked over to join Ambermoon. Fire spotted Silver sitting beside their mother, Dawnmist.

"It is the night of the Full Moon, and it is time for Fire to become a true member of this Clan," Ambermoon announced. "Fire, are you ready to take on the journey to adulthood and become a hunter and a true Clan cat?"

"Yes," said Fire.

And do you promise to help your Clan survive in any way you can, and to always protect and care for your Clanmates?"

"Yes," Fire repeated proudly, her head held high.

"Then good luck," said Ambermoon. "The strength of the Clan will run through you." She stepped forward and touched noses with Fire. Fire felt something both warm and cool wash over her and seep inside her, something milky and sweet like mother's milk, and yet salty and bitter, like tears of loss. It was powerful and strong, and it made her feel alive. This was the Moonlight that each Clan cat carried around inside them, the magic of the Moon, the strength of the three Clans.

One by one, each cat of Fire's Clan stepped forward and touched noses with her, each giving her a little bit of their strength, and it filled her like rain filling a ditch. It felt like she had been dying of thirst, and they'd given her water.

The last cat to approach was Silver, purring. "See you soon," she mewed, and touched her nose to Fire's. Fire drank in her sister's offered strength and purred back.

"Good luck," Ambermoon repeated as Silver padded back to the other cats.

"Good luck," the whole clan called in one voice.

Fire dipped her head respectfully and bounded out of camp, full to the bursting with new energy.

She ran through the trees, and as she ran, it seemed that a path was curling out beneath her feet, a path Clan cats had tread since the Clans had arrived in Moon Valley. It was the Path to Moonreach Mountain. To earn their warrior name, every cat had to climb the mountain and speak to the Moon. The Moon gifted each cat with their new name.

And now, it was Fire's turn.

She tore through the tall grass, and it swayed around her. The trees were thinning out, and soon Fire had reached the field. She raced through the wildflowers and the dandelions, and kept running. With her Clan's strength inside her, she felt like she could run for seasons upon seasons and never need to stop. And she loved it. She wished it would never end.

She ran toward Moonreach until it loomed above her, dark and forbidding. But she was determined, and with all this strength inside her, nothing could stand in her way. She started up the mountain.

The going got difficult very quickly. Fire leapt from rock to rock, digging in her claws to keep her balance. She wasn't used to such hard, rocky surfaces, and her paws soon grew raw and scraped. She struggled to keep her balance; a fall from this height would surely kill her. The air grew steadily colder, and she started noticing that the stone was growing icy. She slipped several times and almost fell. Her borrowed strength was being used up fast.

She misjudged a jump and hit the rock she was aiming for belly-first. She dug her claws into the ice- and snow-covered rock, trying desperately to get a grip, gasping for air. She slid down another paw-length and scrabbled at the rock with her hind feet, trying to push herself up, but she was sliding farther. This was it. She was going to fall.

 _I can't fail my ceremony._ The thought came to life in her mind like a fire being lit. Her strength came roaring back, and she hauled herself up, throwing herself forward onto the rock. She lay there for a moment, shivering. She was so tired. How had all her strength vanished so quickly?

She dragged herself to her paws, taking a step forward, and then another. She would not fail this ceremony. She couldn't. She had to keep going.

Soon she reached an easier path, but it was covered in snow, and as she pushed through it, her paws started to go numb. Her stomach felt suddenly hollow, and she was exhausted.

But she had to keep going. She _had_ to. She pushed on, until the snow weighed down her fur and icicles hung off her whiskers.

Briefly, she thought of resting, but she immediately denied that thought. If she lay down to sleep in this cold, she might never get back up. She slogged through the snow on clumsy paws.

It seemed like days until she reached the top. When she arrived, her paws were bleeding, her nose was running, she could barely feel any part of her, and her eyes were almost frozen shut. She forced them open and looked around.

There, in front of her, sat a great, round pond that was reflecting the Moon so perfectly it looked like the Moon itself. It was so still she thought it was iced over, but when she dabbed at it with a paw, it was warm, and rings lapped out away from her paw.

A gentle voice echoed in her ears. "Welcome, young one. Dive into the Moonpond and I will give you your adult name. You have earned it."

Fire recognized the voice, even though she had never heard it before. It was the Moon.

Fire stepped into the pond hesitantly. Her skin prickled as warmth washed over her, and she found herself growing sharper, more alert. She took a deep breath and dove below the surface of the silver water.

She wasn't sure what happened. She was diving down, and then suddenly she was paddling up toward the surface. Her head broke the surface, and she hooked her claws in a bed of moss nearby and pulled her self out of the water.

She was standing on the green, mossy bank of a pond, surrounded by tall silver-white birch trees. A glowing white cat sat on a fallen tree, gazing down at Fire with silver eyes.

"Hello," said Fire.

"Hello," said the cat, purring warmly. "I am the Moon." She leapt gracefully off the fallen tree she sat on and padded over to Fire. "I admire your courage and perseverance. You are strong." She tipped her head to one side. "I think you are the one. The hero."

"What do you mean I'm "the one"?" asked Fire.

But the Moon didn't answer her question. "In the name of your fallen ancestors, I name you Firelily."

Suddenly, voices from all around them called, "Firelily! Firelily!"

Fire looked around, and saw cats with starry and glowing pelts sitting around the pond, watching her and the Moon. All of the Clans' ancestors. She turned back to the Moon.

"I will be watching over you, Firelily," said the Moon. She touched her nose to Fire's, and Fire felt a flash of searing heat and freezing cold. She toppled backward into the pond, fell down into the water, and burst up again on the other side, back on top of Moonreach Mountain.

As she dragged herself onto the shore, she realized she was no longer tired or hungry. The Moon had shared some of her strength.

Fire was cold on the outside, but warm on the inside.

 _I am Firelily now,_ she thought, and let out a happy purr.


	6. The Boundaries

**Thanks again, LilacKitten! You rock!**

 **Here's chapter 4!**

When Firelily arrived back at camp, she was once again hungry and tired. Her Clanmates were happy to see her, and Ambermoon let her have her pick of fresh-kill. Firelily chose a thrush and ate it all in two heartbeats. Then went to her new sleeping spot in the hunter's den and curled up. Soon she was fast asleep.

Firelily woke slowly to voices, muttering quietly together outside the den. She lifted her head and listened. The voices sounded like they were coming from the little tunnel that separated the guards' and hunters' dens. It was small, and not a lot of cats used it. When Silver and Fire had been kits, they'd played in there, pretending it was a secret tunnel. It wasn't, of course—everyone knew about it, and the hunters and guards had eventually kicked the kits out for being too noisy. But it had been fun while it lasted.

Now, though, both dens would be empty, so the tunnel was the perfect spot for a conservation that some cat didn't want overheard.

"I've never seen anything like it," said a quiet voice. "The Moon has _always_ kept the boundaries strong."

"Yes," another unfamiliar voice piped up. "It's shocking, not to mention worrying."

"Are you sure?" another cat asked softly. Firelily recognized this voice—Tallriver. And as the scents of the other Clans prickled in her nostrils, she realized the other cats must be the mystics from the other clans. Tallriver must have called together a meeting—but why? And about what? Was it a meeting about her? Tallriver had said he wouldn't tell anyone, but maybe he thought it was safe to tell the other mystics. Firelily's fur bristled as she imagined him telling cats from other Clans her secret.

"Absolutely," the first cat said.

"This is indeed troubling," said an older voice. Firelily pictured the three other mystics. She figured this one was Spiderfoot. He was the oldest of the mystics. "If it really is as Shimmerclaw and Mothfeather say, then we are in grave danger."

Firelily didn't like the grim note in his voice.

The first cat—Shimmerclaw—spoke again, her voice sharp and deliberate. "This had to happen for a reason. There's no way the boundaries would just _fail_ like this! The Moon's magic is so strong!"

"As are the cats who wield it," Tallriver murmured, half to himself.

There was a long moment of silence.

The second cat—it must have been Mothfeather—spoke up. "You don't mean…but those cats were banished a long time ago!"

"And I'm certain they're waiting for a way back in," said Tallriver, louder this time.

Someone let out a sharp hiss, but no one responded to that.

Firelily shook her head. This was impossible. The Moon's magic boundaries that protected all of Moon Valley, were failing? It couldn't be! They'd always held strong. And what Tallriver was saying was just crazy. The magic cats were from seasons and seasons ago! They couldn't possibly still be around, let alone still trying to return to Moon Valley.

 _This can't be true,_ Firelily decided. _Shimmerclaw and Mothfeather must be lying._ But why would they lie?

Firelily stood up and silently padded out of the den. She didn't want to listen any more. She refused to believe what she'd just heard. It couldn't be real.

But she knew it was. And she had a nagging feeling that it was her fault.


	7. LostClan

**This is the next Chap! Things are speeding up now. I hope you are enjoying my fanfic!**

 **Please review/suggest/comment/critique. It always makes me feel awesome to read them!**

The night of the Empty Moon pounced on the Clans quickly. The Empty Moon was the only time the Moon wasn't watching over Moon Valley.

It was the perfect time for an attack.

Firelily paced inside her den. She had a feeling that something would happen tonight, but she couldn't tell anyone. She hated being afraid, but she was. She was scared that if she told someone, they'd somehow discover that she had magic. And she couldn't let anyone know.

She paced restlessly, back and forth, back and forth, her ears pricked, waiting for something. She didn't know what, but something big.

Silver padded into the hunters' den, waving her tail in greeting. "Hi, Firelily! What's up?"

"Nothing," Firelily muttered, and kept pacing.

Silver's tail drooped. "Firelily, what's wrong, and why won't you tell me?" she cried. "You're always so secretive now, and you're so different from when we were kits! I get that you're an adult now and everything, but you're just acting so strange!"

Firelily paused. She realized her sister was really hurt, and wanted to understand. But she couldn't tell anyone. And besides, it was probably safer if Silver didn't know.

"Please just tell me," said Silver softly, pressing her fur against Firelily's side.  
Firelily shook her head. "I'm sorry, Silver."

Silver stared at her, grey eyes wide with sorrow and hurt. "Who are you? You're not my sister anymore! My sister would never do this to me!"

She ran from the den. Firelily's heart ached, but she didn't go after her.

Because just then, she felt a jolt in her stomach. And she immediately knew— _magic is near._

A cold, slithery voice whispered from behind her, "Young cat, I feel your magic, just as you feel mine."

"Who are you?" Firelily called, looking around. _"Where_ are you?"

There was an icy laugh. "I am Skyblaze, leader of LostClan. And your ancestors banished me from my own home. I want it back."

Firelily stood tall. "Go away. You don't have a place here anymore." She tried to sound braver than she felt.

Again, Skyblaze laughed. "You're afraid, little one. I can smell the fear clinging to you. You're a coward. Come with me, and I can teach you bravery. I can teach you _strength."_

"I won't come with you." But Firelily's voice shook now. "Just leave me alone."

"Cowardly _and_ selfish!" Skyblaze said. "You'd rather I attacked your Clan? Or one of the other Clans?"

Firelily flinched. She was terrified of this strange cat, but she tried not to show it. "Please. Leave us all alone."

"Don't you want to learn how to control your power?" Skyblaze asked, her voice smooth and soft. "I'll train you. You can be brave, strong, and powerful…don't you want that?"

Firelily hesitated. Part of her did want that. If she was brave and strong, she could protect her Clan, her family, her Valley.

"I can teach you so much," Skyblaze said. "You could be my apprentice. I'd care for you. You would have a place in LostClan."

Firelily's tail twitched. "I—I don't know."

Sweetrose, one of the hunters, yawned as she padded into the den. "Hi, Firelily," she mumbled.

Claws appeared from nowhere and sunk into Sweetrose's back. A ginger paw pressed down on the back of the young hunter's head, forcing her muzzle into the ground to muffle her shriek of pain. Firelily gasped in horror.

"Tell me now," said Skyblaze, slowly fading into view on Sweetrose's back. "Will you join me?"

Firelily couldn't force words out of her mouth, she was so terrified.

"Very well." Skyblaze bit down hard on the back of Sweetrose's neck.

"No!" Firelily cried.

Oakstorm burst into the den and charged Skyblaze, claws outstretched. But Skyblaze just flitted out of the way and vanished.

Teeth bared, Oakstorm turned in a circle as paws flashed into view, clawing at him and slashing through his fur. Blood dripped down from a cut above his eye as he turned desperately to Firelily. "Help!" he meowed.

Firelily let out a hiss, her magic instincts kicking in. She followed the traces of magic she could feel and carved her claws into what seemed like empty air.

A screech of pain and surprise cut through the night, and blood dripped out of nowhere and landed on the mossy floor of the den. Oakstorm followed the blood drips and sprang, but teeth caught him by the scruff, and Skyblaze tossed him aside, becoming visible again.

"You forced my paw," she hissed in fury, and let out a loud yowl. "LostClan cats, ATTACK!"

Suddenly the air was thick with the smell and feel of magic. It was everywhere. Firelily heard her Clanmates yowling in pain. Skyblaze sprang onto her, and they rolled on the ground, Skyblaze on top, raking her claws through Firelily's fur.

Firelily yowled and kicked her hind claws into Skyblaze's stomach. But Skyblaze held on, and dove in for the kill.

A dark-colored blur bowled her off of Firelily, and Firelily fled. Frightened, she ducked into the tunnel between the guards' and hunters' dens to hide, her chest heaving, blood dripping from her belly. This had to stop. These cats were too powerful, too strong. They'd destroy the whole Clan. She couldn't let this happen!

But she was so scared. Too scared to move.

Until she heard a high-pitched scream of pain and terror, a scream she knew was her sister's.

"Silver!" she yowled, and raced out of her hiding place, claws unsheathed. Silver was battling with a dark cat, who had torn off a piece of her ear and now held it in his jaws. She was pummeling him with her foreclaws frantically.

"Get off her!" Firelily flew at the dark cat, pushing him off Silver and sinking her teeth into his side. She clawed at him ferociously, hissing and spitting. He knocked her away with a smack of his forepaws, but as he tried to scratch her face, she caught his forepaw in her mouth and bit down. He let out a hiss of pain. She yanked on his foreleg, pulling it until she heard a pop. He yowled, wrenching his foreleg away.

"Firelily!" Silver cried. She sounded terrified.

Firelily suddenly realized there were cats on all sides of her. She lashed out with her hind paws, catching someone in the chin, and slashed a nearby cat's nose. They were all around her, but she just kept spinning and clawing and biting, but finally, they overwhelmed her. A large, heavy paw was pressed down on her chest. A cat sneered at her.

"Stop!"

Ambermoon stood in the entrance to the hunters' den, her fur covered in blood.  
"What do you want?" she meowed, out of breath but calm.

"We want our home back," Skyblaze snarled. "Your ancestors drove us out. We weren't given a fair chance."

"This isn't your home anymore," said Ambermoon. "That was seasons ago."

Skyblaze shook her head, her fangs bared in a grin. "You don't get it, do you? It is I, Skyblaze, the leader of LostClan. Skyblaze, who fought in the Great Battle all the seasons ago. I was younger then. But here I am still." She grinned wider. "You can't kill magic cats, Ambermoon. We have all been waiting for a chance to come home."

"But why now?" Tallriver padded forward. "Why not wait longer?"

"Magic is returning to this Valley. Magic is being born into you again." Skyblaze waved her tail at Firelily. "She is magic. And she is here. The Moon has not yet cast her out."

"The Moon doesn't cast the magic cats out of our Clans," said Ambermoon. "We do." Her eyes were hard. "Firelily, you are banished from this Clan forevermore."

"W-what?" Firelily could hardly breath.

"Take her if you want her," said Ambermoon to Skyblaze. "But leave here. When the Moon returns, she will not be happy to see you."

Skyblaze looked uncertain. "Fine," she spat at last. "But we _will_ return. Duskfall, grab the Clan cat."

Duskfall, the cat who'd been fighting Silver, gripped Firelily by the scruff and began dragging her across the dusty ground after his leader.

"Let me go!" Firelily cried. "Silver! Dawnmist! Please! Onelight! Someone!"

But the cats all just stared at her with blank eyes.

"Please!" she yowled, thrashing around in Duskfall's grip. "Tallriver? Help me! I'm not evil! I don't want to go with these cats!"

Tallriver bowed his head.

"Shut up," Duskfall growled through her fur, biting her scruff a little tighter. She whimpered, feeling like a helpless kit. "Duskfall, let me go, please! I don't want to go with LostClan!"

"Too bad," he muttered.

She stared down at her paws. Duskfall's dark gray tabby fur was still caught between her claws, along with his blood. Of course he wouldn't want to help her. And he was limping and grunting in pain with each step.

Firelily went limp. It was hopeless. She closed her eyes and let Duskfall drag her away.


	8. LostClan, Part 2

**Thanks as always for your comment, LilacKitten! Sorry for the long wait-it's been a busy weekend for me, I haven't had time to update. But here's the new chap now!**

Firelily had never been outside of Moon Valley before. She'd lived there her whole life, and had always been told stories about how it was dangerous outside. But now she didn't have a choice.

It was nearing daytime as the LostClan cats exited the Valley. Duskfall dragged Firelily across a small field until they came to a strange flat structure blocking their path. Then he let her go.

"Crawl under," he said, nodding to the structure. The other cats were squeezing beneath it.

Firelily glanced back toward Moon Valley, but Duskfall let out a sharp hiss. "Don't try running."

"You couldn't catch me," she meowed, flicking her tail at his injured leg.

"It's not me you should be worried about. Now crawl under the fence."

Firelily finally did as she was told. Duskfall followed her.

With a sharp lash of his tail, he cut in front of her and said, "Follow me." His limp was very noticeable now, and he winced with each step.

A large brown tom slammed his shoulder into Duskfall's, causing the gray tom to hiss and stumble.

"Hey, Duskfall," the large tom sneered, his fangs bared. Firelily recognized him as the one who'd pinned her down back at camp. He was large and brutish, with big teeth. She shuddered and fell back a few steps.

"Hello, Ratbite." Duskfall's voice was cold enough to freeze the whiskers off a mouse, but Ratbite pretended not to notice. He let out a low, oddly threatening purr.

"Too bad Ghostsong isn't still around, mmm?" he meowed. He sounded smug. "I wonder if that leg will ever work properly again."

"Shut it, mousebrain," Duskfall snapped.

Ratbite just laughed, bumped him again, and padded away.

Firelily felt a stirring of guilt. She was the one who'd injured Duskfall. But why was she feeling bad for him? He'd nearly torn her sister's ear off. He was dangerous and mean.

Firelily flattened her ears to her head and glanced around quickly. She was surrounded by LostClan cats on all sides, but surely they had a camp somewhere. From there, she could make a break for it, somehow.

For now she'd just have to follow Duskfall. She scanned her surroundings, trying to memorize them so she could come back this way after she escaped. But she was distracted by the by the large black-and-white things eating the grass all around them. One of them lifted its head and let out a loud moaning noise. Firelily jumped and scrambled away from it, slamming into Duskfall, who'd been waiting for her to catch up. She backed away from him, mumbling frightened apologies, but he just smirked. "Never seen a cow before, huh?"

"Cow?" Firelily glanced at the large creatures. They were flicking their tails and stomping their dangerous-looking hard, round paws, but they weren't moving to attack. She felt a bit embarrassed about being afraid of them now. "Um, no."

He continued to smirk, and with a jerk of his head, he hurried her onward. She quickly obeyed, padding beside him through the field of cows.

Soon they reached the edge of the field, and a waiting fence. Firelily squirmed under it, Duskfall just behind her. And on the other side, a horrible acrid stench rose to greet them. There was a path of a strange, black-grey surface. It looked like stone, but it smelled all wrong. Firelily wrinkled her nose. "Oh, _yuck_!" She stretched out a paw and tapped the hard surface. It was rough beneath the pad of her paw. She stepped out onto it, looking around.

The other LostClan cats were watching her, snickering.

Suddenly, Firelily felt the surface beginning to vibrate beneath her paws.

 _What's happening?_ she wondered.

And then she saw the beast.

It was blazing toward her, its yellow eyes bright with a harsh, unnatural glow. It was roaring, its round black paws spinning, and its smell was intensely awful. Firelily was frozen, crouching there, her eyes wide with terror as the thing came speeding toward her.

And then something slammed into her, and she was rolling across the rough stone and onto the grass on the other side. The beast roared past and then was gone.

Duskfall stepped off of her, his eyes pointedly looking in another direction. Firelily was shaking, still terrified. "What _was_ that?" she meowed.

"A monster," said Duskfall, seeming completely unconcerned despite the fact he'd just saved her from certain death. He started licking his uninjured forepaw. "They smell dreadful, but they hardly ever leave the Thunderpaths, so you should be safe as long as you cross quickly."

The other LostClan cats began to dart across, one by one, watching carefully for monsters.

"They were going to let me die," Firelily said, staring at them.

"Oh, no." Duskfall swiped his paw over one ear. "They wouldn't have let it come to that. They were just having some fun with you."

"Fun?" Firelily hated how her voice shook. "If that's what your Clan considers _fun—"_

"Just be quiet and follow me." Duskfall stood and began limping forward again. The rest of his Clan had finished crossing the Thunderpath, and they were on the move again. Firelily got to her paws, her hackles still standing in end, and padded after Duskfall.

The sun was nearly blinding now. Firelily had never really been out in the day, and the sun hurt her eyes. She missed the Moon's familiar silver glow. The sun's light was harsher, wilder, rougher. She wasn't sure she liked it that much. She cringed under its glare, feeling its intense heat burn her fur.

She and the LostClan cats continued on their way, through another field, and then into a deep, dark forest full of pines. In the pine forest was their camp.

It was a hollow log, rotting and crumbling. That was it. No separate caves, no cozy briar wall surrounding the camp. Just a log, where everyone slept.

The LostClan cats all jostled for a position in this log, hissing and snapping at each other to find a good sleeping spot. Ratbite stood guard at one end of the log, and Duskfall at the other. He pushed Firelily unceremoniously into the log, and she was shoved around and piled on top of, until she was half out of the log and being laid on, and not very comfortable at all.

All her escaping plans flew out of her head. She just lay there miserably. There was no way she could escape.

She closed her eyes and sighed. It had been a long night. Hopefully, a chance to escape would arise tomorrow somehow…


	9. The Fight

**Hey! Shout-out to SnowLily Rose, who reviewed recently: thanks for your review, and by the way, I read one of your stories, and let me just say I thought it was awesome! You're great at descriptions, too. Thank you again for your review, here's the next chap! (and please keep writing your stories, 'cause they're great!)**

Firelily awoke to paws stepping on her head. She hissed, annoyed, and someone hissed back and clawed her ear. With a yowl, she leapt up, squirming backwards out of the crowd of cats heading out of the hollow log. A few hissed at her as they passed, and she pressed herself up against the inside of the log.

When they were all out, she let out a long sigh of relief. Then she turned to the other end of the log, saw her chance, and took it. She ran out as fast as she could.

She hadn't got more than a fox-length away from the log before a cat landed heavily on top of her, crushing her to the ground. She let out a frustrated hiss, and turned to see who was sitting on top of her. It was Duskfall, with that amused smirk on his face.

"Nice try," he meowed.

"You can get off me now," she wheezed angrily, barely able to catch her breath under his weight.

He stepped off her, careful not to set his weight on his injured paw. "If you want my advice, I'd say stop trying to escape. There's no where for you to go."

"I could go back to Moon Valley," she said, picking herself up and shaking out her fur. But she cringed as she remembered how her own sister had stared at her in fear.

"You know you can't," said Duskfall, his voice hard. His smirk was gone. "They hate you now. And you know nothing about this world. You'd die out there."

"Than what should I do? Stay here and become a monster, like you?" she snapped, hiding her fear behind bold words.

Duskfall hissed. His fur stood on end. "Shut your mouth, MoonClan cat, and don't talk about what you don't understand." He glared at her. "Now follow me, and don't try running again."

Firelily lowered her head and padded after him silently. But in her head, she worked on a plan to get out of here. She didn't care what he said, she was leaving.

And soon.

They arrived in a clearing just past the fallen log where a pile of fresh-kill awaited. Although by the smell of it, it wasn't very fresh.

The LostClan cats were attacking the pile ravenously, snapping and clawing at their Clanmates to get a bite. Firelily backed away from the pile, eyes wide, but Duskfall nudged her forward. "If you don't want to starve, you'd better get in there." And he leapt into the pile. Even with his injured leg, he managed to fight his way to a robin and drag it out of the pile with practiced ease, and he settled down to eat it a few pawlengths away.

Firelily just stared at the crowd of snarling, fighting cats. She even saw young cats, barely more than kits, fighting for food. It was awful. How could they live like this?

"Well, aren't you going to go get something?" Duskfall had dragged his robin over and was watching her.

"No!" she meowed. "I couldn't!"

Duskfall let out a disgusted sigh. "Fine." He dropped his robin in front of her. "Eat up." He dove back into the pile. A moment later he emerged, his limp more pronounced, a small mouse in his jaws.

He settled down beside her, nibbling at the mouse and scanning the clearing. "Better eat that quick. We're not supposed to get food for others."

Firelily looked down at the untouched robin between her paws. She wrinkled her nose at the smell, but she was too hungry to complain. So she said, "Thanks," and wolfed it down in a couple of bites.

"No problem," Duskfall muttered, his muzzled buried in what was left of his mouse, his eyes still roving around the clearing.

Once he'd finished eating, he stood and nudged her. "Follow me. You're coming out to do battle training."

"Battle training?" Firelily gulped. "But I'm a hunter, not a guard."

"We don't have those distinctions here." Duskfall was still searching the clearing. "We're all warriors." Finally, his eyes settled on Ratbite, who was talking to three small kits. "Come on. This way." He padded over to Ratbite.

Firelily followed slowly. She wondered why they were going to talk to Ratbite—and why he was talking to these kits.

"Ratbite, I'm taking the MoonClan cat out for battle training," Duskfall said. "Do you have anyone who can come."

Ratbite nodded. "Dustpaw and Pebblepaw." He flicked his tail to two of the kits he'd been talking to. Firelily couldn't believe her ears. Dust _paw_ and Pebble _paw?_ But they were just kits! She couldn't fight them!

"Good. " Duskfall beckoned with his tail, and the two kits padded over to his side. "Let's go."

He led the two kits and Firelily out deeper into the forest, until they reached a large sandy pit with a rock in the center. Duskfall leapt onto the rock, turning to face Firelily and the kits. "Well, what are you waiting for? Fight."

Firelily let out a bewildered yowl as one of the kits—Dustpaw, she thought—barreled into her side, claws unsheathed. His sister, Pebblepaw, came from the other side, sinking her fangs into Firelily's tail. They rolled down into the sandy pit.

All the thoughts of going easy on the kits vanished from Firelily's mind, to be replaced by the strange, cold instincts she was just discovering she had. She swiped her claws at Pebblepaw, who yowled in pain and let go of her tail. She swung around, picking Dustpaw up by the scruff and throwing him across the pit. He slid backward, and then charged her again. She waited until he was almost upon her, then darted to the side, causing him to skid past her. He smashed into Pebblepaw, who hissed and bit his ear. He raked his claws down her nose, and then they both turned back toward Firelily and ran.

Drawing strength from the sliver of the Moon in the sky, Firelily scoured her claws down Dustpaw's back as he came too close. He screamed, and the clawmarks in his fur glowed silver and sparkled with frost. Pebblepaw hissed and leapt onto Firelily's back. But Firelily rolled, crushing Pebblepaw beneath her. She sprang up and pinned Pebblepaw down, lifting one glowing paw for the killing blow—

"Enough!" Teeth sunk into her scruff and dragged her back. Firelily thrashed and yowled in protest, and a dark paw smacked her across the head so hard her ears rang. She blinked several times, looking up at the furious Duskfall's green-gold eyes, then around at the sandpit. There was blood staining the light-colored sand, and Pebblepaw and Dustpaw lay on the ground, bloody, battered, and defeated.

"What—what just happened?" Firelily asked, panting. She stared at the two kits, horrified. "I didn't mean to—"

But there was nothing she could say.

The two kits picked themselves up, licking their wounds and glaring at her with hatred and defiance. Firelily felt terrible.

Duskfall was staring with cold interest at her. Finally, he nodded to the two kits. "Pebblepaw, Dustpaw, your training is over. Firelily." He turned to her. "You're coming with me. I think Skyblaze is going to want to see you."


	10. Escape Plan, Part 1

**LilacKitten, thanks (yet again!) for reviewing my chaps: you are awesome! And, about Duskfall and Firelily...you saw that coming a mile away, huh?**

Skyblaze was lounging on a moonlight-drenched rock, her eyes closed, her tail curled over the edge. In the cold, revealing light of the Moon, Firelily saw scars tracing up and down her face, curling from the tip of each ear around the side of her cheek, down her muzzle to touch her nose, then twist up onto the top of her snout and between her eyes. In the moonlight, her scars glowed silver. She smiled as they approached, her eyes still closed.

"Duskfall, and…MoonClan cat, I believe I haven't picked up your name."

"Um—Firelily," she mumbled.

Skyblaze opened her eyes, and Firelily flinched back in shock. The leader's eyes were normally icy blue, but now they gleamed silver as the Moon herself.

"Speak up," Skyblaze meowed, leaping down off the rock. Her every movement was smooth and graceful, and yet it seemed to suggest there was strength and power, hiding just below the surface.

"Firelily," Firelily said, louder this time.

Skyblaze tipped her head to the side. "I can see you're curious about my eyes—and these scars." She stretched, kneading her long, sharp claws into the ground, each one sinking smoothly in and out of the dirt. Then she sat back, rubbing her snout with a paw. "These scars show true power. When I was a young warrior, I didn't know what it felt to be truly powerful. I was young, I was naïve…like you. I didn't fully understand what it was like, to harness the Moon's power." She licked one paw and rubbed it over her scarred face. "Look at me now. These scars show I am a leader. These scars help me be powerful. Some cats," she continued, flicking Duskfall on the ear with her tail-tip, "are strong from birth, like my dear son Duskfall."

Firelily's eyes widened. _Son?_ Had she heard that right?

"Maybe, with the proper training, you, too, can become str—"

"Skyblaze, this is why I've come," Duskfall interrupted, sounding impatient. "She's just like me, she's so strong, I've never seen anything like it in seasons."

Firelily flinched, expecting Skyblaze to claw his ears off for interrupting her, but she just regarded him coolly and meowed, "Is that so?"

"Yes," he replied.

Skyblaze jumped back up onto her rock again, crossing her paws. "Show me."

Duskfall dipped his head and turned to Firelily. "Fight me," he meowed simply.

"What?" she said. "No!"

"Do it!" His voice was harsher this time.

"No!" she repeated. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened with the kits.

Duskfall sighed in annoyance and pounced. He landed on her back and sunk his claws into her fur.

Firelily tried to resist the instincts welling up inside her, but she couldn't. She rolled, causing Duskfall to leap off of her, and she slashed at him with her claws. He leapt backwards, out of her reach, and she charged him, head-butting him on his bad leg. He hissed, stumbling and falling. She sprang on top of him, but he kicked her off with his hind legs. She hissed, lifted one forepaw, and curled her claws around the Moon's light, pulling it down and winding it around her claws. She could feel the power buzzing, and she lifted her glowing paws.

"Stop!"

Skyblaze was standing on her stone, her silver eyes shining harshly down on Duskfall and Firelily. "I demand you stop this, right now!"

She jumped down and landed between the two cats, her teeth bared. She hissed loudly at Firelily, who was only just coming to her senses.

"I—I'm sorry," she stuttered. "I don't know what came over me."

Skyblaze was staring at her. Finally, the leader meowed, "Those were your magic instincts, telling you to fight for your life. But I've never seen them so strong on a sliver Moon…" She glanced at Duskfall, who was rising shakily to his paws, wincing. "Except for Duskfall's."

She seemed surprised. She turned back to Firelily. "You could earn a great place among our ranks, just like my son…"

Firelily gulped. "Um, I don't want to join you."

"I'm not asking." Skyblaze's voice lowered to a silky hiss.

Firelily took a step back. "Can I think about it?" she mewed, knowing she sounded like a terrified kit.

Skyblaze sat back. "Very well. You may "think" about it. But for one day only. Then, you must give me your answer. And if that answer is no…" Skyblaze's claws sunk in and out of the ground menacingly, her ears pressed flat against her head.

Firelily got the warning. "Yes, Skyblaze," she whispered, keeping her head down. She slunk out of the den. After a quick word with his mother, Duskfall hobbled after her.

They returned to the fallen log. Firelily lay inside dejectedly, while Duskfall sat at one end, guarding her.

"I hate it here," mumbled Firelily, half to herself. "I want to go home."

Duskfall growled quietly. He sounded angry and upset.

"What?" Firelily snapped, losing it. "Now I can't even say, "I want to go home"?"

"It's not that," Duskfall muttered.

"Then what is it?" Firelily asked.

He didn't reply. He started washing his uninjured paw with steady, rhythmic strokes.

"Don't ignore me!" Firelily meowed. But he continued to do so. She hissed in frustration and set her chin on her paws. "I…I don't want to be a LostClan cat," she said quietly. "I don't want to become the monster my Clan already thinks I am."

Duskfall cast a long glance at her. "You want to leave?" he meowed.

"Yes," she sighed.

"Good. So do I. And I have a plan."


	11. Escape Plan, Part 2

**Thanks for sacrificing your morning, SnowLily Rose! I don't deserve a great fan like you!**

 **Here's the new chapter.**

"You? Want to leave?" Firelily couldn't believe her ears. "But, but you're one of them!"

"Of course I am, I was born here," Duskfall hissed, annoyed. "That doesn't mean I have to like it. And I don't."

Firelily shrank away from him slightly. "Oh. Right. So…what's you're plan?"

"It's simple. In the day, while everyone's sleeping, we take out the log guards and run."

"Take out…as in, kill them?" Firelily said nervously.

Duskfall gave her a cold stare. "What else do you think it means?"

"But…"

"But what? These cats would kill you without batting an eyelash. Killing a few of them is nothing."

"I don't want to become like them," she meowed.

"Too bad," he snarled. "If you want to escape, this is what we have to do. We can't risk leaving any cat alive to tell Skyblaze which way we went."

Firelily squirmed uncomfortably. "I can't do it, Duskfall, I just can't."

"Fine. Just keep one still until I finish off the other one, and then I'll come and do it."

Firelily felt sick. Did she really want Duskfall's help? He spoke so casually of killing other cats.

But he was her only hope. There was no chance she could escape on her own, without help.

"Okay," she agreed at last.

…

That day, when everyone was piled up on top of each other, fast asleep, Firelily crept out of one end of the log, knowing Duskfall was creeping out the other. She took a deep breath and stared at the unsuspecting tabby standing outside the log, looking bored.

Firelily pounced.

The tabby didn't have time to screech. Firelily squashed his muzzle into the ground so he couldn't make a sound. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Really, I am…"

The tabby thrashed frantically beneath her paws, but Firelily didn't let him up. She couldn't; he'd shout for help and alert the other LostClan cats. She pushed him harder into the dirt.

Pawsteps sounded from behind her. Firelily whipped her head around sharply, but it was just Duskfall.

"Oh," she said quietly, letting out a sigh of relief. But then her stomach clenched as she realized what him being here meant.

He padded up to her and the tabby. She turned her head away and walked away as he killed the tabby. There was no sound but a quiet hiss. When Firelily turned back, the tabby was dead.

"Let's go," Duskfall muttered. Firelily followed him silently through the pine forest, her stomach roiling. She glanced over her shoulder at the tabby's limp form and her legs wobbled.

Duskfall shot her a sharp look, and she picked up the pace. Soon they'd reached the Thunderpath.

"Do we have to cross it?" Firelily asked, wrinkling her nose at the smell.

"No. We're going to follow it," Duskfall replied.

"Why?" Firelily asked, curious.

"We're going to the Twolegplace," he meowed.

"Um." Firelily felt sort of dumb. "What's that?"

Duskfall smirked. "Of course. I forgot how little you know about the world outside your happy little valley."

Firelily bristled, but he continued before she could spit out a retort.

"Twolegs are tall, furless creatures that stand upright on two legs."

Firelily frowned. "You're making this up, right? It's a joke."

"No joke," he said. "They're weird, but they're real." He beckoned to her with his tail, and she started after him, walking along the side of the Thunderpath, warily watching for cars.

The sun was rising in the sky, and Firelily tried to ignore its heat, but it was hard. Soon enough, she was panting. He thick fur was making her feel very warm. Also, she was tired; she and Duskfall had been walking for a while now, and they hadn't stopped to rest or eat once. And there was no sign of any Twolegplace. Not that she knew what they looked like, actually, but she figured she'd know one if she saw it.

"How long until we get there?" Firelily was certain she sounded like a whiny kit, but she didn't care. She didn't like walking under the sun. She wanted to feel the Moon's light on her fur again, and the power flooding through her veins—

She shook those thoughts away. She shouldn't use her magic. It was dangerous, and unpredictable. And really scary.

Duskfall gave her a long look. She couldn't tell if it was disapproving, or angry, or maybe just annoyed. She sighed. Trying to communicate with this cat was hopeless.

The sun moved through the sky excruciatingly slowly. The day passed pawstep by pawstep, and when night fell at last, Firelily was too weary to think straight.

So when she saw the tall silver tree-like structures glinting in the sun's fading light, she was certain she was dreaming.

"We're almost there," Duskfall meowed. It wasn't an encouragement, just a notification. He picked up the pace, and Firelily groaned inwardly as she fell behind.

"Hurry!" he snapped over his shoulder. "We'll be safe here. The gangs in this place never let other cats in. And they've got magic too. LostClan won't try anything with them in the way."

"But, if the gangs don't let other cats in, what about _us?"_ Firelily protested.

"There are just two of us. I don't think they'll notice."

"Really?" Firelily was skeptical.

Suddenly Duskfall stiffened, his ears pricking.

Firelily stumbled to a halt behind him. "What is it?"

"Shhh," he snapped.

And then a white cat padded out of the shadows, his pale green eyes wide.

"Duskfall?" he mewed in surprise. "Is that you?"

But Duskfall's voice was even more surprised. _"Ghostsong?"_


	12. Ghostsong

**Gotham's Reckoning: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you like the story!**

 **SnowLily Rose: Thank you AGAIN! :) :) You are awesome. I'm serious.**

 **I am so glad you guys chose to read my story over the millions of others here! I hope you like this next chap!**

"Duskfall, it _is_ you!" the white tom cried, padding forward. Firelily noticed he didn't actually look that friendly. His fur was bristled, and his ears were flattened against his head. His tone sounded forcedly cheerful. "Why are you here?"

Duskfall's tail was twitching slightly. "Why are _you_ here?"

"Um, can someone tell me what's going on?" Firelily asked.

Ghostsong's eyes darted to her, and then back to Duskfall. "And who's this?"

"You could ask me," Firelily grumbled. "I'm right here, you know."

Ghostsong's eyes flickered to her once more.

"Just let us pass," said Duskfall at last. "We're heading to the Twolegplace. We don't want any trouble."

Ghostsong stepped to one side, and Duskfall limped forward, Firelily following him. She glanced at Ghostsong warily.

"Hold up," the older tom said suddenly. "Duskfall, what's wrong with your leg?"

"Nothing." Duskfall continued to hobble onward.

"Don't you "nothing" me. I'm a mystic. I know an injury when I see one." Ghostsong no longer seemed wary or tense. Now he seemed strong and confident. "I can help you. Wait a moment while I look at it. Then you can go."

Duskfall shook his head. "We've got to get to the Twolegplace. LostClan is probably already after us, and—" He clammed up almost instantly as Ghostsong gave him a long look.

"So you've run off," Ghostsong meowed. "Just like me."

Duskfall said nothing, but continued forward.

"Duskfall, maybe you should stop," Firelily said quietly. "You can't run very fast with your leg like that. If LostClan _did_ catch up with us…"

"You should listen to the she-cat," Ghostsong meowed. "She's right."

"My leg is fine," Duskfall hissed, whirling around. "Now let's _go._ "

"Your leg is not fine, and you know it," Ghostsong said sternly. "Weakness is not a fault, Duskfall, no matter what your mouse-brained mother has told you. Cats get hurt. It happens."

Duskfall gritted his teeth together. "Fine," he muttered, and sat down. "But make it quick, Ghostsong."

The older white tom smiled. He padded forward and sniffed Dusfall's leg, prodded it, pulled it, and twisted it in different directions, causing Duskfall to hiss in pain.

"Well," said Ghostsong. "Good news: it's not broken, just dislocated. So I can fix it."

Firelily let out a long sigh of relief.

"Bad news?" Duskfall asked.

Ghostsong sighed. "It's going to hurt. A lot. Especially since it's been dislocated for a while…"

Firelily's sigh of relief halted in her throat. "Can't you give him something to ease the pain?"

Ghostsong shook his head. "Does it look like I have stocks of herbs around here? I don't have anything. I'd give it to him if I did. And the Moon is too small for me to draw on much healing power. I'll do what I can, but it won't be much."

"Let's get it over with," Duskfall said. "Now."

Ghostsong nodded. "Okay. Lay down on your side and give me your leg."

Duskfall did as he was told. "

"You…what's your name?" Ghostsong turned to Firelily.

"Firelily," she meowed.

"Hold him still, please."

Firelily padded over and pressed her forepaws down on Duskfall's side.

"This won't even take two heartbeats," said Ghostsong. He gripped Duskfall's leg in his teeth, cold silver-white moonlight racing from his muzzle up Duskfall's leg. "Ready?"

"Ready," Firelily affirmed.

"Ready as I'll ever be," grunted Duskfall.

Ghostsong bit down on Dusfall's leg and pulled with all his might. Firelily leaned all her weight on Duskfall to keep him still as he screeched in pain. Then there was a solid pop, and the leg was back where it belonged.

"There! All done." Ghostsong let go of Duskfall's leg and offered up a small smile. "It'll probably still feel a bit sore, but it should be better soon."

Duskfall was panting, but he nodded to Ghostsong. "Thank you."

Firelily stepped off of Duskfall. "Yeah, thanks," she mewed.

Ghostsong nodded. "No problem," he said softly. He touched his nose carefully to Duskfall's leg, and a wisp of silver moonlight wrapped around his leg and then sunk in. "There. That should ease the ache."

Duskfall got up and tested his weight on the leg. He walked a few steps. It didn't seem to hurt him at all. Firelily let her sigh of relief return at last. He was healed.

"Alright. Now let's go." His energy seemingly renewed, Duskfall beckoned to Firelily with his tail. "Come on." He hesitated, glancing at Ghostsong.

"I'm coming with you," he said simply. "You're going to need me at some point, I can just _feel_ it."

Duskfall frowned, but didn't object. Firelily got the feeling that they had once been friends…but there seemed to be something between them now.

As they walked toward the towering silver trees, Ghostsong said, "I meant to go to the Twolegplace, too. But I couldn't get past the gangs, and so I gave up and just hoped no one from LostClan would come after me. No on did, by some miracle."

"No miracle," Duskfall explained bitterly. "Skyblaze figured we didn't need a mystic. So she let you go. The injured are left to die if they're too weak." He said this sharply, as if he blamed Ghostsong.

"But that's terrible," said Ghostsong, echoing Firelily's thoughts. "I never would have left if I knew that was going to happen…"

"Really? You didn't guess it would happen?" he snapped, even sharper this time.

"I sincerely thought they'd just replace me. I thought perhaps Breezewhisper…"

"Breezewhisper's dead." The words came out hard and choppy and jagged around the edges.

Ghostsong shrunk away from Duskfall. "Oh," he mumbled. "Duskfall, I'm so sorry…"

"Sorry?" Duskfall growled. "She died from an infected wound. It wasn't even that deep. If you'd been there, you could've saved her! I had to sit there and watch her burn up with fever and—" He broke off abruptly, apparently having said too much.

Firelily felt sort of awkward, like something private was going on, something she shouldn't be listening to. She fell back a few steps.

"I really am truly sorry," Ghostsong whispered, his head low. "You know that Breezewhisper meant a lot to me too."

"Not as much as she meant to me," Duskfall said in a low, angry voice.

They both fell silent as they padded forward. The Thunderpath was growing, Firelily noticed, spreading and rising, filling with more and more monsters. She was beginning to get used to the roaring beasts.

Finally, the three cats arrived at the tall silver trees. They padded among the streets warily, watching over their shoulders. Everything seemed to be going fine. Firelily didn't see any trace of the gangs Ghostsong and Duskfall had mentioned.

Until a large, thick tom stepped out in front of them, grinning. "Hey, there," he said, his tail flicking back and forth. "You're in my territory. And I'd advise y'all to get out."

"And why should we listen to you?" Duskfall asked mildly.

A large group of straggly cats came out of the alleyway behind the big tom.

"'Cause I'm Scratch," he said. "Leader of the Flea-Bit gang. And we decide who comes in or out of _our_ city."


	13. Everly

**Thanks, Shadow! I'll read your stuff soon, promise!**

"What's a city?" asked Firelily.

"Not now, Firelily," hissed Duskfall. He was getting ready to fight, his hackles lifting.

"This, little she-cat, is a city," Scratch meowed, waving his tail around at the streets and the tall structures. "And it belongs to me and my gang."

"You can't fight them all, Duskfall," she hissed back.

He flexed his claws. "I can try."

Scratch smiled. "You? Fight me? And my entire gang?" He snorted. "You've got no chance of winning. Just turn right around and head back the way you came, and we won't bother you."

"Fat chance!" Duskfall's hackles rose.

"Can't you just let us in?" Ghostsong asked calmly.

"No. We've got enough cats to watch over as it is," Scratch meowed. "We don't need anyone extra on our paws. So get moving."

Duskfall threw himself at Scratch, teeth bared. They fell to the ground in a ball of fur and claws, rolling around and around. Scratch came out on top, his ginger bulk pressing down on Duskfall, one paw pressing against Duskfall's throat. "I said," he hissed menacingly, "get lost."

"Ooh, terrorizing some more cats today, Scratch?"

A black-and-white she-cat sauntered forward, smiling. "Hey everyone! How are you doing today! Good? Great!" She turned back to Scratch. "Don't be a meanie."

He growled. "I'm defending my territory. And I'm defending you."

"Me?" The she-cat laughed. "Oh, I'm flattered, Scratch, but I'm good. I could defeat any cat. I don't need help! I'm awesome enough! Let that cat go, and I'll show you!"

Scratch looked wary, but he released Duskfall.

"You know what," the she-cat said, "on second thought, I don't feel much like a tussle." She addressed Firelily, Ghostsong, and Duskfall as a whole. "Hey, y'all! Do you wanna come over to my place, hang out, and maybe have a couple rats? Yeah, I know. You do! So follow me!" And with a wink, she took off running.

After a moment, Firelily bolted after her, Duskfall and Ghostsong just behind them.

Scratch screeched in rage, and ran after them. But Everly seemed to know every nook and cranny of this "city". They soon out-maneuvered the Flea-Bit gang, and Everly led them to a low, cozy rooftop.

"This is where I live," she meowed proudly. Then she looked around and smiled brightly. "I see Scratch decided not to come, huh? That's awesome. He's a mouse-brain, and he smells terrible. Who wants a rat? I got a couple somewhere around here…" She dug a fat rat out from under her nest, which was a dirty pile of strange, soft pelts. "Here ya go. I'm Everly, but you can call me Ev. And you guys are…?"

"I'm Firelily," said Firelily. "Thanks for rescuing us from that Flea-Bit gang."

"No prob, Bob! They're just a buncha bullies. Kinda weird name you got there, though," Ev added, sounding curious.

"Well, your name is weirder," Firelily said. "What kind of a name is _Everly?"_

"My housefolk gave it to me. I kept it. I figured I might as well. I don't want a dumb name like _Scratch,_ you understand. I mean, who does?" Ev turned to the others. "And your names are?"

"Duskfall," Duskfall muttered.

"Ghostsong," said the mystic.

"These names just keep gettin' weirder and weirder!" Ev laughed. "Are you gonna eat that rat? 'Cause if not, I'll be happy to."

"Go ahead," said Firelily.

Ev leapt forward and devoured the rat in three bites. She licked her lips. "Mmmm. There's nothin' like a good rat. So, anyway—what're you doing here in the city?"

"None of your business, is it?" Duskfall said.

"Well, I'd say it is my business. After all, I saved ya, didn't I?" Ev gave them a smug look.

"You wouldn't get it anyway." Duskfall turned his back and padded toward the edge of the roof.

"Sheesh." Ev made a face. "What's with him?"

"A lot," sighed Ghostsong.

"We're from clans," said Firelily.

"Wow, really? I thought clans' were an old queens' tale, to keep kits from running out into the wild!" Ev grinned. "That's so cool that they're real!"

"Yeah," Firelily mumbled. "Cool."

"Y'all seem pretty tired," Ev observed. "Go a head and get some sleep. Tomorrow morning I'll get the whole story outta you." She grinned again. "If you're hungry, I got more rats."

Firelily accepted a rat and padded over to sit next to Duskfall while she ate it. She wanted to say something, but there was nothing to say, so she just sat there silently.

Behind her, she heard Ghostsong explaining some clan stuff to Ev. The black-and-white she-cat seemed nice enough, but had Firelily been too quick to trust? Maybe Ev was no better than Scratch and his gang or Skyblaze and LostClan. It seemed like the world was angry with her, and just kept throwing bad things her way.

She looked up at the Moon. She was still up there, in the city sky. She was still watching over Firelily.

Firelily glanced over at Duskfall, who was staring down at the streets below them.

"Duskfall," she got up the nerve to ask, "who's Breezewhisper?"

He didn't say anything. She sighed. Typical Duskfall.

"She was a very special friend of his," Ghostsong mewed, coming up beside them. "I wanted her as my apprentice, but…I couldn't stand to pull the two of them apart." His voice was heavy with guilt. He blamed himself for her death as much as Duskfall did, she realized.

Duskfall hissed, quiet and furious. He padded away and curled up with his back to them.

Ghostsong looked down, his pale green eyes sad. "She was like a daughter to me," he mumbled. "I wanted her to be happy. I wanted them _both_ to be happy."

Firelily rested her tail on his shoulders. "It's not your fault, Ghostsong. You couldn't have known."

He nodded. "I know…but it doesn't make me feel any better…"

He padded away, his head bowed.

Firelily walked over to where Duskfall lay. "Duskfall—"

"Leave me alone," he snapped.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I…I wish I could've met Breezewhisker. I'm sure she was a great cat."

Firelily didn't expect him to say anything, but he did.

"She was. She was an amazing cat." He rolled over to face her. "She would've liked you."

Firelily nodded.

He looked so sad and fragile for a moment. Then he pulled himself back together, his face hardening. He turned away from her again and fell silent.

"I can tell you really loved her," Firelily whispered.

Duskfall let out a dry chuckle. "You have no idea."


End file.
